Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Introduction to the verb colporter
The English translation of the French verb “colporter” is “to peddle” or “to hawk.” The infinitive form “colporter” is pronounced kohl-por-tey.
The word “colporter” has its roots in the Latin word “portare,” meaning “to carry.” In everyday French, “colporter” is commonly used in the imparfait tense to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past. It is often used to refer to the act of selling or trading goods in a door-to-door manner.
Here are three examples of “colporter” used in the imparfait tense, along with their English translations:
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Quand j’étais jeune, je colportais des livres dans mon quartier.
(When I was young, I used to peddle books in my neighborhood.) -
Ils colportaient des légumes frais du marché tous les matins.
(They used to hawk fresh vegetables from the market every morning.) -
Pendant les vacances d’été, nous colportions des souvenirs sur les plages.
(During the summer holidays, we used to peddle souvenirs on the beaches.)
Table of the Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of colporter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | colportais | Je colportais des nouvelles. | I used to spread news. |
tu | colportais | Tu colportais des rumeurs. | You used to spread rumors. |
il | colportait | Il colportait des livres. | He used to peddle books. |
elle | colportait | Elle colportait des histoires. | She used to spread stories. |
on | colportait | On colportait des ragots. | We used to spread gossip. |
nous | colportions | Nous colportions des idées. | We used to spread ideas. |
vous | colportiez | Vous colportiez des mensonges. | You used to spread lies. |
ils | colportaient | Ils colportaient des rumeurs. | They used to spread rumors. |
elles | colportaient | Elles colportaient des potins. | They used to spread gossip. |
Other Conjugations for Colporter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter (You’re reading it right now!)
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colporter
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Colporter – About the French Imparfait Tense
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see our article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.
Formation of the Imparfait Tense
For regular -er verbs:
For regular -ir verbs
For regular -re verbs
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Description of Past Habits
Background Information
Mental and Emotional States
It’s employed to express emotions, thoughts, or physical sensations in the past. For example: “J’étais content quand il est arrivé.” (I was happy when he arrived.)
Ongoing Actions
Points to Note About the Imparfait Tense
Passé Composé vs. Imparfait
Conditional
Si Clauses
Narration
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb colporter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb imparfait conjugation!